Science & Technology

Iran welcomes regional and international cooperation in all fields, including that of the space industry, and is willing to collaborate with other states in this sector, said the head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) on Wednesday.

Addressing the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization’s (APSCO) 10th Anniversary High-Level Forum and 9th International Symposium (November 14-16) in the Chinese capital of Beijing, Morteza Barari invited all regional and international entrepreneurs, innovators as well as public and private businesses to, based on providing Iran with a long-term support, begin peaceful scientific and technical cooperation with the country in implementing joint space projects and offering space-based services, IRNA reported.

He said Iran’s space technology owes its improvement to efforts and participation of its young talents.

Barari noted that thanks to the development of the required sufficient infrastructure in APSCO, member countries are properly prepared for further cooperation with each other in different sectors of the space industry.

He urged that such a cooperation is required to be actively expanded.

ISA chief added, as stipulated explicitly in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), capacity expansion requires an active environment and cooperation at individual and organizational levels.

To create an active environment people and organizations in a country should cooperate effectively, he said, adding for over three decades, more than 20 universities across Iran have been offering education in the field of aerospace engineering.

Barari noted that currently, 1,500 students are studying in the field of aerospace engineering in Iran.

APSCO is an intergovernmental organization operated as a nonprofit independent body with full international legal status. It is headquartered in Beijing.

Its members include agencies from: Bangladesh, China, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru and Thailand.

Indonesia and Turkey have also signed the APSCO convention.

In 2005, the APSCO convention was signed in Beijing.

Representatives from Argentina, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia and Sri Lanka also attended the founding ceremony.